Adven and Jet Iu Kiku
by JigendaisukesHat
Summary: [WA3] Adven and Jet are at it again and this time it's the demise of Filgaia they're leaving behind in their race.
1. Default Chapter

It was a dark day many years ago. Not many remember it, but not many remember much these days. Things that are forgotten and things that sit on the tips of tongues. That's all memories are.

You could say that it had always been peaceful on the planet Filgaia. But then you'd be wrong. There was a darker time. The same for demons and humans alike. A great revolution that shaped the planet as most know it today had taken place.

It was in this age that there was two brothers. One named Gaius and the other Tiberius. The Gracchus Brothers. Leading the revolt to overthrow the humans. Themselves were successful products of human-demon processes of making hybrids. Something that came as a failure to three others years later due to the environment being much too harsh. Still, these two brothers had set about what would change the shape of the planet forever.

Then it failed. Tiberius had disappeared and Gaius was defeated in some form. Believed by many in myth to have become frozen in time. His devote followers destined to die or go into oppression from the enemy.

It was the guardians who saved the planet in the end. Creating their own beasts whose soul purpose was to protect the humans. The four spirits of the elements. Moor Gault created Salamander with the spirit of the flame and the anger that comes with it. There was also Stoldark's Undine, Fengalon's Sylph, and Grudiev's Gnome. The physical embodiment of these leaving along with the end of conflict.

The truth of the matter lies in a simple phrase, _Iu Kiku_ which many to this day can not translate. Many believe it could mean 'communication'. Supporters of that theory reply that the phrase refers to something about talking and listening. Whether that's true or not it is unclear.

In the end it was a myth. A legend of ancient heroes against evil that many love to here. In the end though, there is always some truth to the myth.

OKOKOOKOKOKOKOKOKOOOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOK

I have to say that this is NOT my story. It's not even a fan fic of a fan fic. Basically this is the story that my friend, his penname being Tetsuo Tsubushi said he posted yesterday. I got a call from him earlier and what he told me is that he got in trouble for posting some second chapter to a Ranma fan fic the night before. So he said they won't let him update until after Christmas.

Still, he said he was sort of angry and lost so I said I would just post his works because I was interested in being a part of , but hadn't made a story I really like yet. So this is what he e-mailed me along with the next chapter. I'm not the writer of this, so be nice to me and not shoot the messenger if you don't like it.

I guess I should also say my views on WA 3 are different than his. I like the game, but I found that it didn't push enough characterwise. They should have become more dynamic than static people. That, and I bet that if they took advantage of the Drifter part of the game there could have been a bunch of mission side-quests for us to play. I think that would have had a lot of potential there. That and the ending was a bit…eh…I mean, you kill Nega-Filgaia and then that's it? You go on to become wanted criminals? Left a bad taste in my mouth. Still, whatever.

Thanks.


	2. Flashback

The musty halls of the ruins felt so thick when one breathed in it was like eating soup. Passageways that had grown stale over the many years with no way to move the air freely. No one had seen the innards in years. And that all came to an end when the ceiling broke apart. Much to Jet Enduro's luck he had found what he came looking for through means he did not like.

It was as he stood and rubbed his sore butt that he let out a grumble. He had gotten leads on these ruins, and it was thought possible that there was much treasure within this tomb. The stale air at least had been broken and the new air fit in just fine with it. There was no need for him to cover his mouth with one or two of his scarves.

Though many years sealed away dances from torches lit the way for him as he looked on in suspicion to the end of the hall. The brick structure of clay was made with advanced technology. There was no imperfections in the wall such as chips, juts, bulges, or different shades of color from one block to the other. The floor was the same, except that of course, it was a floor. And much like that floor the ceiling looked the same, but much like a ceiling, what being overhead and all.

And so Jet took his wary step and made his way down the orange-hued hall. It had looked like things were going to be fine for the young man. He was a treasure-hunter, and this is what he does. His gray head of hair did not have a worry because he was more than confident in his ability to wield his ARM. He knew this would be a simple job. He would use all that Werner taught him to his best.

He liked the fact he was alone. He could not see himself ever being part of a group. A good thing he hadn't until now. Or had he? He had no memory. So there was no idea to how many he may have met when he were younger. How many people he may have known. It's not like it mattered to him at this time. He was Jet Enduro. That's all he cared about.

The Ruins of the Four were said to house a treasure of power. Jet was not too interested in the power fact. He felt he was strong enough as it is. It's not like he had to get stronger for some reason. There was no great threat on his life at the time that he would have to overcome. Jet was interested because he knew others were interested and that meant money was in it for him.

Jet noticed the flicker of a torch and his pace slowed. His eyes closed and he listened for a moment. There was a rock that was kicked at the wall by accident. Just a small pebble. Still, he had heard it and that was enough to get him to move aside.

It had been a good thing he had. It was at that same moment that a man blew by him with an extended arm topped with a fist that had missed the lad. Jet was quick to arms and took up his ARM readying it to fire back. The second man of a similar age meanwhile had moved towards the wall, kicked off of it, and was returning to Jet.

The second man had an auburn head of hair as unruly as Jet's own, but with a dark green bandana under the bangs and wrapping around his head to a tied knot. Jet had moved to fire, but the second man threw another punch causing Jet to block instead.

Teeth clenched Jet went again to fire, but the second man went with a forward flip, jumping over the Filgaia Sample. Jet was quick to turn, but a flying card hit his right hand and he dropped the Aigert-Lahm b/v 2 onto the floor tiles.

As the man moved away in a series of jumps, Jet ran after quickly following. With a grunt he tossed his boomerang to the air flying for the other man who was able to duck around it. Multiple cards that hit like bullet rounds lacking the damage came flying for Jet who dodged under them. With two rolls Jet had his foe where he wanted. His boomerang was flying back, and it was then that the auburn haired man in the green silk shirt was hit in the back and fell to the ground.

Jet ran forward to catch his boomerang quickly. He turned his attention back to his foe who was already back up. The two threw their tools and each of them ricochet and fall away from them. It was too late to stop Jet's charge being that he was still in the air. The second man was not going to stop moving after he had taken off so fast from the ground to block Jet's attack.

Each threw a punch and they collided with one another as each of them rolled onto the ground on their backs. The man in the silk shirt was first to stand as Jet stood as well. Jet was used to having his trusty ARM at his side. Now he was all alone with just his fists. His boomerang gone to him for the moment. The other man was just in the same position, but Jet had no idea on whether or not he could be formidable without a weapon or not.

The two charged one another with the tension hitting the air. Jet lunged for a punch, but was put to rest by his opponents opposite hand that came between him. Jet did the same for his foe though, and the two were left to grapple for dominance.

With a struggle Jet was flipped in the air and landed on his back. Air knocked out of him for the moment. He rolled aside before his chest was hit by the follow-up attack. It was then that Jet swept his enemy's legs out from under him and the two were both on the ground.

However, before the brown haired man hit the ground his palm instead launched him back up in a handspring and he was safe again. Jet was standing by the time he landed.

The tension built up between the two. Glares of equal malice between them. Jet and his foe of the similar age kicked off the ground as they went in to attack the other. Jet's right fist met the other's left, but that did not stop the stranger as he went with a crescent kick with his right foot. Jet threw out his left hand to stop it and at the same time snagged the leg to hold.

Spinning away and to Jet's left came the stranger's body with a reverse-punch from the foe's left side. Jet let go of the right leg and moved under the punch. His arm pulled back and his hand in a fist Jet got his aim prepared. Jet moved over an attack from the other's kick and Jet landed in a roll. His boot coming to a stop to the side of his boomerang.

The second man started to come back. Jet snatched up his tool and began to meet his enemy. The boomerang was sent to the air with the silk-shirted man darted to the side of the attack. The two immediately met and the fists reached their marks. With a hard blow from each sent the two backwards. Each of them had hit the others' ribs.

The brown haired one had not even recovered as he launched himself forward hitting Jet with a double fisted blow. Jet hit the ground and the other was sent after him. The boomerang had hit the back and sent him to the ground right after Jet. Jet had slid across the slabs of rock for a few more feet as he came to a stop. The other one hit the ground facing forward, but upon hitting the rock he rolled to his back in an abrupt jump. A hard hit.

The two sat with a huff. Each of them out of breath for the moment. Neither capable of standing upward at the moment.

He let out a heavy exhale. "My…name's Adven Bok by the way." The two continued with hard breathing for the moment. "What? Too good to reply with your name?"

"A…name…doesn't matter. The same as memories." Jet replies with a heavy exhale as well. "It's pointless to have one."

Adven blinked as he stared up at the ceiling. "That seems…stupid. Everyone must have a name. It's rather important. What does anyone call you?"

"I don't care what one calls me. I'd rather have no one speak to me as well." Jet began to catch up on his breaths. "If someone has your name they control you. They have power over you. I'd rather not say." He blinked. "I'm not sure what my real name is anyway." He reluctantly admits. He nearly kept going, but stopped.

"Pheh. Not like I care about your name. Just thought it'd be a kind offer to ask." Adven scoffs with a snort to clear his throat.

"The treasure in here is something I claimed. You're not going to get it at this rate." Jet warns as he sat upward.

Adven did the same. "Then I suppose we should do this the fair way."

"The fair way?" Jet mutters. A scoff passed through his lips. "The only fair way is the way we were going."

The two stood up quickly and nearly lashed out at the other before stopping. Glares passed as the sweat rolled down their face from the brow. An old-fashioned showdown? "I was going to say a race, but…what can I do if you're going to take that often traveled path?"

There was a loud explosion that rocked the ruins. The two men looked to the end of the hall as a huge cloud of light brown dust and sand flew for them. Like a wall of water in a sinking ship. Jet put his scarves in front of his face and ran into the pillowing expansion of dust. Adven darted after the first man. Though blind the two continued into the area of blindness. There was no chance of seeing the particular way through.

The two came out of it entering a vast room. You could almost hear the organ music of holy levels. A stretch of two lines of six pillars. Adven's eyes went to the man who stood in the light of the room near to the wooden box. Jet was staring at the wooden box that was no doubt the treasure he came for.

The blonde haired man who stood there in his collared shirt of black and the bandana hanging around his neck. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who came to see if there was anything here." The man admits. "Dowaito Ayasaki at your service."

Jet mouthed the name. Not like it was a familiar one, but the language it came from was definitely familiar in sound. Like he had heard it before. "You must be kidding me if you think I'm going to let you have that!" Jet declared.

Adven nodded. "Right. It's going to belong only to me or this guy. Not you at all."

"You two have no idea what you are getting yourselves into. I require this treasure. It is my duty." Dowaito replied.

"And it's my duty to get it for myself!" Adven declared boldly as he ran forward towards the altar the Dowaito stood at.

Jet meanwhile looked at his surroundings. Examining what he had to work with or against. There was an obvious door at the altar behind the chest. A keyhole in it and the man with a key. Jet ran to the other end of the room while Adven attacked.

Adven sent three jabs for the other man who effectively blocked them and returned one. Adven staggered backward from the blow. Jet jumped from the wall and tackled the man swiping the key at the same time. Dowaito tossed Jet across the room not realizing the theft. Adven rebounded from the previous attack made against him and went for the man.

Dowaito had scooped up the chest as he jumped to the air landing on Adven's head. The younger brown haired man fell to the floor as a result as the blonde jumped further across the room. Jet however was running back and lunging to get a hit in. Dowaito tossed the wooden chest at the boy and Jet was pushed to the ground by the weight and gravity.

In Dowaito's hands a book. "The _Iu Kiku_ is in my possession. You two have lost." The man was gone in a cloud of dust that came as a result of bombs hitting the ground.

Jet and Adven coughed as they watched their treasure depart. When it was all over the two of them stood alone without anything to show for their work. Adven kicked a rock that had been loosened by the attack. "Pheh. Damn bastard got away with the treasure."

"But I have his key." Jet remarked with grin.

"What?" Adven turned his attention to his earlier foe and sprang to see the key. "No fair. That's mine."

"No it ain't." Jet snorted and ran away from him.

"Come back here!" Jet picked up his boomerang and tossed it for Adven who had to move aside. As Jet scooped up his ARM and caught his boomerang he made his way out. Adven grimaced. "I swear on my life that I will hunt you until I get that key!"

And so…the world began to fall apart without anyone knowing.


	3. Mysterious Letters

It was Jet Enduro who walked into town one day. A break from him travel companions that he has an off and on relationship with. He likes them on some occasions, and at other times could do without them. Especially Gallows when that Basker goes and tries some goofy line of his. Gallows was a womanizer, or at least most think so. No woman could rightfully like him until he cooled that image down a bit. Inside he was a better man. And Jet liked to think that when he punched the Baskar before he picked up some random woman he was saving the woman. That, and he also saved the entire human-race by deterring any occurrence of a small Caradine before the world was ready for it.

The town of Claiborne was the only place Jet had a link in really to anyone outside his group. That was due to the fact that he knew the young man named Pike. It was a brief change of pace for Jet to be in town. So when he swung by to see Pike in a hope to change his name and run away forever—as a joke, but it would probably become serious—Jet was met by something else.

"Oh, hey….Jet, I…have this letter for you." Pike took the small parcel from his shirt pocket and extended it out to the other man.

Jet stared at it as it drooped towards the ground in Pike's hand. Slowly Jet took it up in his own fingers. "Who sent it?"

"I don't remember."

Jet raised a brow. "When did it come?"

"That's the strange thing." Pike remarked with a face of concern. "About a year or two ago before I even met you someone gave it to me and told me to give it to you now."

"What?" Jet looked to the letter. Swallowing out of a worry of what was written within it. His hands ripped it open. They ripped them open. Okay, they weren't. He couldn't get his hands to break it open. His hands were slightly trembling so he could not get it open. Instead he forced it open and tore the two papers that made the envelope apart.

Jet looked at the two words on the paper. Staring at them as his mind went back. He had memories now. He could do that.

_Iu Kiku_

The name of the book that had been the treasure at the Ruins of the Four. Dowaito Ayasaki. He had sent the letter, or at least that was as much as Jet could figure. He had been alive then, even though he is dead now. Jet had seen that man dead within the hull of a destroyed sandcraft. Their first meeting though…was when he also met Adven who is always the constant thorn in his side.

Jet heard that again. _Iu Kiku_. If only he knew what it was though. He wish he knew what it meant but it was a language so alien to him and so native to him at the same moment and that made no sense to him. Did anybody know though?

Jet looked to Pike. "I'm going on a journey. If that team of mine come by tell them to stick around here and I'll meet up with them later."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Truthfully…I'm not sure." Jet shook his head. "I'll find out, now, won't I?"

888888888888888888888

Jet opened the wooden door with a wooden creak. The dust in the air could be seen in the sunbeam from the window. As the doorknob clashed with the wall making a small noise Jet scanned the room. Jet watched the dust in the air swirl and immediately rolled into the room as the door had a hole punched into it.

Jet stood upward as he brushed his clothing free of dust. "Did you get a letter as well?"

Adven retracted his hand from the hole he placed in the door. "Yes, a message from Dowaito Ayasaki from a year or so ago."

The two faced one another with a glare in each of their eye.

Adven spoke first, "The treasure is here?"

"Maybe." Jet had finished his scan of the room. His eyes coming to the roll-top desk made of cedar. The wood with the best smell to it.

Adven's brown eyes however had fallen on the same desk at the same time. "It could be." He mused.

Without warning the two scrambled for the desk. Colliding into one another and falling to the floor in two separate heaps. The two fought one another to stand. Grabbing onto Adven's shirt was Jet's first tactic to force the man down. Adven went with Jet's belt.

Adven wormed his way onward and was standing tall after he slipped off his silk shirt. Standing however became a problem when after Jet lost his hold on the shirt he grabbed Adven's pants. Adven quickly went to put his pants back on as Jet started to fight with the roll-top desk. It would not open for him.

Adven stepped back in and the two started pushing the other while trying to get a chance at opening the locked desk. Finally Jet figured out why it wasn't opening and punched a hole in it the same time as Adven did across from his hole. The two brought their hands out of the desk each holding an item.

Jet held another parchment that he realized was a letter. Adven held a map. The two looked to one another. Jet ripped off the lock and opened the desk to find only empty shelf and space.

"A map?" Adven scans the image on the paper. "Looks like I gots me a treasure map."

Jet put up a finger. "But I have a letter with instructions and some other junk I don't have time to read right now." Jet put his hand in his back pocket and flashed the small key. "And I have this key that I stole from Dowaito back then."

"So? I have the map."

"Like I need it. The instructions will probably say the same thing."

"Then…we'll just have to see who can get there first." Adven began.

It was silent. Nothing was happening, not even thoughts. The two looked to the door and back to each other.

"Last one there is-"

"Screw that!" Jet and Adven ran into the doorway. Each of them getting stuck when neither could get through. "Can you suck in any more air?" Jet questioned.

"Already tried that." Adven tried to turn and failed. "Uh…"

"You need a bath."

"Look, Dowaito is dead. Let's just break the trim off."

"Whatever." Jet inched his right, gloved hand to his ARM and aimed it at the door. The resulting attacks made by it made just enough room for Jet to move and turn.

The two of them were quick to stumble outside onto the sand. As each fought to stand up another battle like the one to get up near the desk began again. If only it were the last…


	4. Rock, Paper, Scissors

Jet looked at his letter and brought it down from his eye level. The sketch on the paper of a square doorway in a clay mountainside was the same thing that was revealed when he lowered the paper. The doorway to the Ruins of Four that he had visited a couple of years ago. It seemed like the letter did lead him back here after all. He thought it would be possible it would not.

Adven pointed to the 'X' on the map that lies over certain coordinates. He checked his compass and folded the map up. Pocketing it. A heavy sigh from his lips.

"So…neither of us win?" Adven begins.

"Whatever." Jet had thought that by going a separate way than Adven he would win. Turns out that their destination was the same, and so even though they went two different ways they still wound up in the same place.

"So, should we enter?"

"Might as well. We came all this way." Jet shrugged.

The two of them walked forward as their shadows trailed behind them. The near-noon sun shining down on them well. The gentle breeze in the air cause Jet's scarves to flap in the wind and the tails of Adven's headband to do the same. The two of them coming to a stop at the door. It had been still broken from when Dowaito had blown it apart. That was his escape from them long ago. This time they wouldn't be using the hole Jet fell through to get inside.

Adven stopped alongside of Jet. "Who goes in first? We want to avoid the thing that happened at Dowaito's home."

"I'll go." Jet was stopped by Adven's hand. "Adven?"

"We should do this fairly."

"That means?" Jet left it hanging.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors." Adven proposed with a serious voice.

"If it makes this go by faster." Jet groans.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS…S-H-O-O-T!" The two threw out there hands.

"Tie." Adven remarked staring at the two flat hands.

"Again!"

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS…S-H-O-O-T!" Again the two threw their hands. The same paper, but Jet quickly changed his to scissors and Adven was none the wiser.

"Looks like I go in first." Jet shrugged with a smug smile.

"Hold on." Jet was afraid that Adven had caught his slip and would argue it. "It should be best two-out-of-three."

Jet gave a nervous laugh. "Oh…right…I guess…that's fair."

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS…S-H-O-O-T!" Two fists went out in rock shape, but this time it was Adven who quickly changed his to scissors.

Then he caught his mistake. "Looks like I win again." Jet mused as he walked ahead.

Adven stared at his hand.

_Of course he would be the only one who would cheat and still lose…_

Adven let out a sigh and followed after the Filgaia Sample. The two of them filed into an empty room with an altar at the end with sealed halls. Jet was sure that there had been a different setup when he and Adven were here last, and Adven noticed it too. Where had the hall that they chased Dowaito gone to? Now they just stood in a pentagon shaped room.

In front of the altar there stood a small brunette. A little girl with rosy cheeks and a smile so innocent with the impish glow. Her deep purple blouse on. A small protrusion of red hair by a ponytail on the side of her head where it met the rest of the same color hair. A book in her arms. Jet recognized it as the _Iu Kiku_.

"Little girl give me that book!" Jet immediately demanded.

"Slow down, man." Adven protested. He knew you should approach this kindly. Little girls meeting two strangers like them would find it better that way. "Hey girl, my name's Adven and this is Jet. What's your name?"

She let out a childish giggle. "My name's Mina." She shuts her eyes and her smile droops a bit. "It's nice to see someone else. I've been alone for so long, but…since I met the last man here I seem to be meeting many people." She returned to her smile and another giggle came.

As Adven moved forward the girl was gone, and a book remained on the floor. "Where'd she…the book." His eyes went to the book after the shock of the girl's disappearance left. He gave a cautious stride for the book.

"Hold it!" Adven stopped as Jet let out that order. "Don't touch the thing. You should look for traps first you idiot."

"Didn't know you cared?" Adven stood straight and began a scan of the room.

"I don't. Whatever you do effects what happens to me in this room." Jet defends. Why he needed to defend was beyond even him.

"There's no traps." Adven remarks.

Jet met up with Adven who had been across the room in front of the book. Jet looks suspiciously at the leather cover. "It says something…I just don't have any clue as to what." Jet ran his hand over the four characters on the cover. "I've seen these markings before."

"Oh, right, now you're a linguistic expert." Adven was not amused.

Jet whacked him with the book. "Idiot. I read these same markings in this letter that was at Dowaito's house." Jet opened the letter and looked it over. Matching the markings on the page with those on the cover. "Translated…it means…'Say Hear'?" He blinked.

"What's that mean?"

"Like I know." Jet went back to studying the symbols again. He had an essential Rosetta Stone here. The letter provided a means to translate the ancient language to his own. The power of such an item…

"So…'Say Hear', eh? So it's talking and listening? Sounds like the two most important aspects of communication to me." Adven comments. "Maybe it's some sort of key. Y'know, like, maybe we're supposed to say it."

"Hear?"

"No. HEAR!" Nothing happens. "I can be wrong."

Jet shook his head and looked about the room again. His eyes falling on an odd mark on the wall to the side of the altar that had replaced the previous hall. He picked up the book and walked over to it. Running his free hand across the stone that made the wall there.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's just…last time we were here…and the rest of the walls around us…are made perfectly straight and all. Perfect condition. This wall's stones are uneven and all. Dents in them." He observed. He put his hand in his pocket and took out the key he had stolen from Dowaito.

"What are you doing?"

Jet put the key in a hole he found and turned. There was a loud rumbling as dust fell about the room along with the sand. The resulting cloud brought Jet and Adven to cover their faces in protection. As the noise and debris settled the wall moved apart. Leaving a new hallway that they had never seen before behind. Each of them looked on at the rather wide wall. Enough to fit four men arms apart.

Jet took a breath. Adven swallowed. "Well…let's be going then." In the light behind them there stood a joined shadow with two separate origins.


	5. The Underlings Happy Holidays by the b...

"Hold it!" Jet and Adven froze up. They had just found their entrance to the ruins. And it was only their luck that they would have to deal with somebody else.

It was a man's voice. While being a suave one and overall normal there was a hint of coldness to it. Something that could instill fear in the two young men. There was age in the voice though it be a young one just the age that Jet and Adven shared.

Adven and Jet silently looked to one another. Enemies they may be, but the two of them were caught in the same mess. Out of common trouble allies are made. Still, neither of the two young turned. They had stopped though.

"Hand over the items you own." The man behind them demanded. He was not kidding around.

Jet spun around and kicked off the wall as Adven did a backflip. The two of them both being knocked on their asses by the other man and his companion.

The two young looked at the older men. The first with gray spiked hair who looked on unamused. His eyes seemed innocent, but they hid something unseen. His clothing was much too plain. A simple black shirt with long-sleeves. His pants a dark brown. Simple, one color, no fills, clothing.

"You don't seem to understand who you are dealing with." The man examined as Jet and Adven sat on their knees rubbing the spots they were punched at by the first man and the man beside him.

The silent man beside him whose eyes were open but were so small seemed closed. Looked like he was squinting through those tan eyelids. His black hair in larger spikes that seemed similar to a comic Adven had read in which an alien had his hair turn yellow out of rage for the death of his friend. This man seemed to have hair like a fusion of that alien and the alien prince of that story. Wearing a brown work-shirt with a pair of matching brown work pants. A black belt with a silver clasp holding them up. A black shirt worn under the coat that showed itself by the nape of his neck.

"You shouldn't stress yourself." The silent man said.

"I suppose you're right, Gene. Why don't you handle these two inferior beings?" The first man wonders. "I need to conserve my strength to stay alive."

"It's only right that I should help the god among men." Gene replies as the first man stepped back and Gene took center stage. "Hello, I suppose you would be Jet Enduro and he Adven Bok. Do you like Jet? I would rather call you Adam Kadmon, being it your original name."

Jet felt off about this. A man who knew him more than Jet may even know himself. Adven meanwhile was not really sure what either were talking about being that he didn't know anything about Jet's past. "Listen Jet, obviously this…man is crazy." Adven began. "We should be able to take him out easily if we team together."

Jet nodded in his numb state. "You two will take that man on?" The first man questioned. "You do realize you speak to Gene Nimrod. A man with strength second to none."

Jet recalled that Nimrod was a mighty hunter and king. A nimrod was a hunter, and they usually were backed with incredible skill. A descendent of Ham. "A hunter than?" He scoffed.

"A hunter has more to him than skills needed to hunt." Gene noted as Jet stood upward to his feet. "Would you like to see."

"Go ahead." Jet flashed the letter that Dowaito had at his home. Waving it about in the air. "You do that and this letter is yours. It is what you want, right?"

"The map…and the letter?" Adven wondered as he looked to his own parchment.

"You're smart." Gene quipped. "To know that which we seek. The map to these caverns appear when in front of light, and the letter will lead the way."

"In other word…the map has a second map that appears when behind a flame, and the letter will allow you to translate the letters you will see." Adven deduces. He takes out a match and runs it against the wall. He put the map up to it and saw the map that had been hidden that showed the ruins. The intended path. The flame goes out and with a yelp he drops the match.

"We will have to do combat to see who gains the items." Gene states before moving for the two.

Jet was the first to act. He saw Gene lunge for Adven and tackled Gene. Or…he would have had Gene not threw Jet over his back first. Gene's charge never stopped, and Adven had countered with a flying fist. Gene moved his head around the blow and sent his own to Adven's gut. A large breath expelling with it. Jet stumbled upward and noticed Gene go for the map in Adven's hands.

Drawing his ARM, Jet goes to fire, but is met instead by a kunai knife. In surprise and reflex, Jet dropped his ARM when the knife hit his hand. It missed his skin, but got part of his thumbnail and his ARM.

Jet was quick to sling his boomerang to his front and watch it fly for Gene. The small space between the two should make it impossible to avoid. So Gene simply snapped his arm out and hit the boomerang aside as if it had been only a bee.

Gene used the moment Jet had to rethink his attack to his advantage and ran for the boy. Adven went to trip him from his spot on the ground which ended Gene's charge and sent him to the air to avoid Adven's trap. Jet immediately threw his body forward to punch the man into the wall across from him. The raven-haired man hit the wall with a grunt as he fell back to his feet with a sneer on his face.

Jet meanwhile had landed onto Adven who remained lying on the ground. A few curse words later Jet had been flung backwards into his wall by Adven who stood up.

Adven immediately went to action and sent a jab for Gene who moved aside. Gene was met instantly by Adven's second fist, to which each fist ends hitting the wall and leaving a dent. Pieces of rubble falling. Gene stuck between the two outstretched arms took this chance to head-butt Adven, sending the brunette backwards mouthing off about how stupid it was to not remember that Gene had a head too.

As Jet came back to the fight, he and Adven both lunged forward and missed the man who went under their two arms and punched each in the worse spot for them to be hit. The two men instantly collapsed to the ground. Rolling around a bit in pain. Each cursing that they were born male at the moment.

Gene picked up the letter and map. "I'll be taking these."

Jet tried to sit up. Clenching his teeth. "That…wasn't…fair!"

"Who said this was a fair fight?" Gene smirked.

Jet's anger took over and negated the pain. Adven's as well. Each of the men stood upward only to be met with the first man with no name. They went frozen out of shock. "Flame Burst Profusion!" The man declared and the two were pelted by balls of flame. Each of them being flung from the halls and back to the foyer with the altar.

Jet and Adven landed without any burns or scorch marks. Totally out of it. They would pose no more threat to the two men. They had been defeated by an attack Jet knew was false. But it had felt so real. It had creamed them.

"Thanks for the map and letter." Gene observed and the two men departed from the entrance hall.


	6. Happy Boxing Day

Jet's eyes broke to a bright light from the sun. It was dusk. The twilight of evening was here and the orange sun was lowering outside the ruins. His nose twitched as he caught a beautiful smell. Some sort of flower or fruit that he never cared to learn the name of, but the smell was still pleasant to him.

Pleasant and an all too familiar one.

"Looks like it's me who saves a life this time, Jet." The blonde woman noted.

Jet sat up rubbing his sore wounds. He calculated by the fact it was dusk that at least six hours had passed by now. He looked to Adven's fallen body, and then to the woman that sat between them. "Mizu Ayasaki." He simply stated.

"I found a letter from my brother." She explained. Another mysterious letter owned by the late Dowaito Ayasaki.

Adven sat up in the same slow process of Jet.

"Where are those two guys? And who is she?"

"She's that Dowaito's sister. Mizu." Jet simply said. "You got a letter from him?" Jet questioned.

She nods. "Right. You see…my brother was the guardian of these ruins. The protector of that book. The _Iu Kiku_."

"What was so important about these ruins and that book?" Adven wondered.

"The book holds four powerful items." She explained. "Made by the four ancient beings made by the Guardians themselves."

Jet felt around his vest. From his belt and tucked under his shirt he pulls out the _Iu Kiku_. "I guess they didn't take the book then."

"Heh. And I have photographic memory." Adven bragged. They stared at him. "I mean to say that I can remember ever detail of that second map we found." He takes out a sheet of paper and pen and begins to write down the map.

Mizu coughed. "The two men? They're most likely after the Cane of Calamity." She explained. "It is an item with possibly even worse power than the ancient four items. The cane was made by the evil forms of those four beings. Because…when the guardians created the four there needed to be an equal amount of power to balance the world, and that was nega-copies of the four." She looks to the book. Opening it to a page. "If we could read this text we could get somewhere, but only my brother and his key could tell us what it meant. And you guys had the key." She looked to them. "And…judging by your looks you lost it."

She sighs. Continuing anyway, "I only know very little of the language. Like, my brother's name was Dwight, but in the language it was Dowaito as we know it. And mine, Mizu, means water."

"Like Adven," Jet began. "I recall enough of the key while I had it." He closes the book and looks at the letters again. "The key that I used to open that door…was made to get to the path of those dark beings' creation. So…then…this book is the path to the four items made by the light beings."

"How can a book be a path to something? You can't fit nothing in there." Adven remarks.

"When I read this title earlier…it was wrong. It's not 'Say Hear' as I said." Jet explained. "The word kiku could also mean a flower." Jet remarks. "A particular flower I've heard Florina tell me about once."

"Well, what is it?" Adven eagerly wondered.

"If we can get those four items we can counter the Cane of Calamity, so the sooner we can get them the better." Mizu adds.

"The word is…Chrysanthemum." Jet watched as the pages of the book flipped open to a certain page that had previously been blank. On the page appeared a large blot of ink. "Ink?"

"No…wait," Adven was too late as it was rather a large opening to another dimension that opened. It was a pocket realm that had been put into the book. The hole was the passage to the other realm.

The three of them stepped back from the book that was expelling a large gust of wind.


	7. Inside the Book

Adven floated freely in the dark blank void. Looking around the empty space. Jet was floating off to the side with crossed arms and a sour look. Mizu examined the area. The each had decided to go inside the book, but by the time they had decided that, the book closed them in with it. So now they were stuck in a void that was lacking any bit of gravity. A place that Jet would call paradise had he been from another realm as well, but in this real world he came from he was in Hell. This place sucked, and it was made worse by the fact that he had to share it with those two.

He wasn't going to like that he had to spend the rest of his life with Adven and Mizu. Well, definitely not being with Adven, but maybe he could stand living in this realm with just Mizu. She is the least annoying person he had met so far.

"So…nice decorating?" Adven quipped. "No, seriously, where the Hell are we?"

Mizu finished he search of the blank, black void. "This must be the true Ruins of Four."

"You do notice we aren't even in a ruin?" Jet asked in annoyance.

"Just wait." She remarked.

Suddenly the void went white as the three of them found themselves growing heavier. Jet landed on a white floor to the void that appeared as Mizu fell into his arms. Adven fell onto the hard floor on his head. As the white light receded the three were placed in the center of a four-way intersection. Tiled and crafted of the same material and way as the ruins they had been in earlier.

Mizu stood on her own feet as Jet looked around the torch-lit room. The four halls were sealed with slabs of gray stone. As Adven slowly sat upward rubbing the bump on his noggin.

A rumble began and Jet and the others looked cautiously in the direction of the one hall. The gray slab with the symbol of fire shifted into the wall and opened a path.

Mizu began for the hall, but Jet was quick to stop her. "If we go this way it'll probably be a trap." He notes. "Mizu, you should stay here in the main room in case there's some trouble."

"I disagree." She remarks with a glare.

He scoffs. Her glare intensifies. "I WILL go with you and Adven." She argues. Why should she stay behind? She was just as strong as these two…MEN! "Strength goes away when you decrease it."

"Will you shut up." He simply shakes his head in annoyance. He snatches up the two lengths of Adven's headband and pulls the man behind him as he made his way for the opened hall.

Leaving behind an angry woman with crossed arms.


	8. A Brief Discussion and Prelude

Light pattering of soles against stone filled the hall. The long length of the hall seemingly unending. A lifetime of a walk ahead of them. That would be correct, if this whole place wasn't made out of an illusion. Truthfully the two only had about a two-day journey.

That didn't make Jet or Adven feel any better about it though.

And all along as they walk these torch-lit walls there has been only one character upon the wall. Another symbol of the mysterious dead language. It was the same one throughout, and it was missing part of it. The word was halved.

Jet finally comes to a stop and drinks some water from his canteen. "These words are the same one over and over." Jet finally admits.

Adven looks over in surprise. "Are they?" He examined one and moved a foot to his right to look at another. "I was thinking they looked the same. I guess they are."

"I don't quite understand it." Jet shakes his head.

"This looks like it may take a long time." Adven says as an understatement. "What if by the time we do get these four items those two assholes already have the Cane and have done whatever they plan to do?"

Jet shakes his head. "There's something strange about them." He observes with a chill he does not register running down his back. "They never bothered to kill us. That seems like their mistake."

"Anyway…what does this repeating word say?" Adven runs his hand along the wall.

Jet looks to one. "It's incomplete as I told you. So it makes no sense." Jet shrugs. "From what I can tell it says 'Sala…'."

Adven lets out a humorous grunt. "I read an ancient legend that I suppose was an early Filgaian Pagan religion." Adven commented. His brief stint in theology pays off! "Before people believed in the guardians, mainly."

"And…the relation to that is…"

"Well…the four gods in that store were based on the four elements…fire, water, earth, and wind." Adven continued. "For all we know, and from what we know, the four beings that created the items we're after may have been the same beings as those four. Considering the fact that the door we went down had a symbol for fire on it...and I recall some story about the guardians making four beings once."

Jet's eye twitched. "That's something that could have been brought up earlier!"

Adven blinked. The anger from Jet did not make him flinch. It would other people, but not Adven. Truth be told Adven and Jet may be the only two people who could ever get along with each other while not getting along at all. If they were to partner up the world would be theirs. Too bad…

"Anyway…" Adven sighed. "the element of fire was ruled over by Salamander. The character you've been reading may have been that name once, but now has faded to just be Sala."

Jet's anger had spittled out by now. Nodding his head, "I agree."

Jet moans as he shakes his head. "What am I doing in this Hellhole?" He bellowed loud enough to echo throughout the halls entirely. Mizu may have even heard it had she been paying attention way back in the foyer.

"I agree." Adven ejaculates. "There is no point to this. Nothing is in it for you or I. There is no treasure involved in this at all."

"I'm tempted to run all the way back…but I wouldn't know how to get the Hell out of here! We're in a f-cking book, after all!" Jet let his anger out on the wall. A piece of the last syllable in 'Sala' broke from the wall as it did to every other 'Sala' on the wall leaving behind only the faded part of 'mander' and the beginning to the word.

"What good would it be for me to run?" Jet cooled as he noticed the way every other 'Salamander' had suffered from his punch. "If the world really is all going to shit I'm dead no matter what I do."

Adven let out a heavy sigh. "If Sakura knew that I was running away from something like this she would never love someone like me…I can't become a coward!" He protested.

"And even if she could love me…I couldn't look into her eyes knowing that I am a coward." Adven rambles on. His heart growing with every word as it exploded on Jet who was not liking it at all. Emotions, bah!

That's the main reason they could never be the greatest team like they should be. Adven was too emotional, and Jet…was…does he have many emotions? That's still subject to say. He has been improving a lot and he had that sudden turn-around a while back. Prison may have helped. He said he was changing.

Regardless, it seemed now that he was on his own he was back to his old ways; despite Adven or Mizu being here.

"Listen," Jet let out in a huff. Unease and nervousness in his voice. "How about…a truce?"

Adven's ears perked up like a dogs. "Come again?"

"A truce!" Jet restated. "No fighting at all between us until this is all over."

"And, that includes those childish things we do like the way we fought to be the first here." Jet went on. "The way I pulled your…pants down to get to that desk. Anything that would bring us stuck together in a doorway."

Adven nodded. "Agreed."

The two shook on it with firm grips. Adven with a sappy smile as he is subject to do, and Jet with a simple gleam in his eye that stood for the same thing.

"Might we add one more thing?" Adven wondered. "A promise?"

"What promise?"

"We must promise one another to put an end to that Gene Nimrod and that other jerk so that they won't funk up our plans of wealth and glory."

"I promise then." Jet bit his thumb.

"Obviously I do as well." Adven but his own.

The two put their thumbs together as an oath. It is commonly done as well as a sort of, 'blood brother' pact sometimes, but it also can be done in promise.

"So, let's get the Hell out of here already."

"Right."

Despite whatever they say, whatever they promise, and whatever truces may come…the two still scramble to beat one another to the end of the hall where they expect to find one of the items.

Maybe they knew what was waiting at the end for them as well, but most likely they did not.

The one made of Moor Gault's feather sits with the jeweled flame at his side.


	9. The fiery Battle

Adven let out a long groan as he pushed open doors three times his side. His fatigue slipping away. Jet came up beside him as the two filed into the small hallway that leads to two more large doors.

The two of them had traveled for two days down that long hall of the fire trail. It seemed unending to them. And even though they have walked for two days they never slept and they never became tired. It was like they didn't need rest in this realm. There was no piece of them was fatigued.

Adven wiped his brow with his sleeve. "Does the world we even know still exist outside this book?"

"It must still be fine, or, the book would have probably been destroyed by now." Jet observed.

Adven nods. "Let's finish this then and get out of here."

Jet nods in return. The two of them pushing the heavy doors apart as they crashed into the walls. A loud thunderous bang throughout the throne room. The two would have heard it had their attention not been taken away by the wall of flames that blocked their passage into the next room.

A booming voice of anger came at them. "You should tell me why I shouldn't destroy you two here and now where you stand?"

Adven twitched slightly out of shock while Jet remained cold as steel on the outside. Could he be like Adven inside? Only he knows.

"You can go ahead and kill us." Jet announces. "But a Salamander will never learn why we came here if he does smite us."

The wall of fire sputters to embers and disappears in front of them. The two men looked forward to the throne with the item they search for placed just beside it. A flame in crystallized form.

A man sat in the throne cast in shadow. Very odd. Odd because his body was erupting with fire. His hair like that of long hair in spikes, but it was made of fire. His hair dancing like a flame. His bare red chest etched with muscles. His forearms with flames as well. His eyes opened, but no sign of eyes existed.

Both of the men felt intimidated by the man-god. The being made by the Guardians.

"The item beside me," The being began, "Is the Ever-Light. A little something I created long ago." He explained. "It holds the strongest heat that ever existed that can melt and burn nearly anything ever made. Things that normal fire cannot."

The man finally recognized the two. Shifting his attention to them. "I was born, Salamander, but over time my name faded to Sala." His glare pierces both of the men who let out a scared grunt. Their bodies tensing up. "You are the two who shortened that to 'Sa'?" He boomed as fire erupted from his head and wrists. "Infidels!"

With a large burst of explosive flames, Sa stood upward. Adven steps back out of intimidation, and again, Jet remains cool under pressure, though inside he wished he could move back as well. The room was still between them and the being.

"If you had made your hall shorter I would never have shortened your name." Jet grinned.

The temper of Sa flared up again as a small jet of flame burst out.

"I have been set aside and imprisoned here by the Guardians! I was able to accept that!" The being declared. "But to be disturbed by such…such…idiots?" His temper expanded.

With two flings of his arms the trail of fire came for the two trespassers. The duo quickly evaded the fires and rolled to the two ends of the room. Jet to the left side of the room and Adven to the right. Both still near the entrance.

"Hey!" Adven shouted. "There was no need for that!"

"Listen," The brunette continued. "We only came for that item so we can stop these two guys after the Cane of Calamity or whatever!"

Adven's words of reason went unanswered as multiple waves of fire attacks took the room. The duo in a race to outrun fire itself.

The two crossed paths on many occasions as well as trails of fire came and went about the floor. Watching ahead of them and timing was important.

Jet threw his body aside when a ball of fire came for his body. His trailing scarves nearly hit in the air as it passed. A backflip saved Adven for another ball of flames. The walls shattering when the attack hit. Jet drew his ARM and fired out, but a wave of fire hit the bullet first and made it explode mid-air. Jet carefully moved out of the way as Adven did the same to avoid the small explosion.

Through the heat however came ten trails of fire aimed at the two Drifters. Jet was flying through the air still form his dodge of the explosion and kicked off the wall nearest him to avoid two lines of fire. Adven was trying his best to avoid two as well that headed right for him and a third one he did not see was headed straight for him.

Just as Adven went to register it out of the corner of his eye he felt a tug on his arm as he flung towards Jet. Jet caught the man before both of them dodged the last trail of fire that would cause them any harm.

Jet stood upward. "Pay more attention next time." Jet warned as he took the scarf he had snapped around Adven's arm off the other man. "I can't be in two places at once."

Adven scoffs. "They say there's no 'I' in team."

"But there is a 'ME'." Jet replies as the two stand at the ready.

"We've wasted too much time on this guy. We should go in for the kill."

Sa scoffs loudly in arrogance. "Pheh. It may have been two days since you two men have gotten here, but on Filgaia only two seconds have passed." The being explained. "For every day here, only one second passes outside the prison. You can imagine how much time I've had to think about my imprisonment."

Sa let out a brilliant laugh. "You two will be dead for weeks here before anyone even knows it outside this realm."

Adven stood like Jet had before without emotions. "It's been known that two-heads are better than one, but there is a flaw to that logic." He explained. "When two-heads can work as one things go a lot smoother."

Jet gives an abrupt nod. "Understood." Jet kicked off the floor as his body charged towards the being made by the guardians.

In defense Sa let loose five rounds of fireballs at the gray-haired man. Jet was quick to move to the right, and then move forward. Immediately meeting another Jet moved to the left of the third ball of fire. The second one being too far away from him to worry about. Jet came to a stop shortly. With a quick crouch Jet vaulted over the last ball before landing on the ground on one knee.

He had no time to rest as three circles of fire on the ground spun around Jet as they shrunk. Each one moving closer to the man. Jet waved his arm as water arcana took care of the rest breaking a hole into the small circular walls of flame.

Jet dashed forward for the element of fire in a body. Sa sent out two more waves of fire and three balls of fire in defense. Jet maneuvered around the being as all the attacks missed, and instead damaged the floor. Splinters of floor flying to the air.

"You look in the wrong place." Jet remarks.

"Negative!" Sa's eyes went straight to Adven. "Cannon Blast!" A powerful burst of purple negative emotions flew for the being of fire.

Jet moved to Sa's front and sent a raising upper-cut to the red fleshed being. As Jet was in the air and moving over Sa, Adven's attack was hitting home. Hitting Sa, who was distracted by Jet's attack, so there was no chance of dodging or blocking. The attack simply knocked the tall man with fire for hair over and onto the floor. Skipping across it and leaving dents, and never stopping until he hit the throne which shattered upon impact.

Jet landed on his feet a few feet in front of the downed being of fire. Adven lowered his arms from his pose. Adven's attack of concentrated negative energy had done the trick, as well as Jet's well-timed punch.

Jet opened his hand to look at the Ever-Light he snatched while moving around the man before the unison attack made by the Drifters. "We have what we've come for."

"What good will that do you?" Sa questioned as he sat upward. Cracking his neck as he worked out the stiffness. "You need all four items."

"Then we will get those as well." Adven returns. "It shouldn't be so hard."

Sa let out a cackle. "I haven't seen the others for many years either." He remarks. "The item that you need to counter the Cane of Calamity that was forged by the negative copies of me and my team, can only be made as a team."

Jet looked at the fire in his hand that burned without giving heat off on him. "So…the Ever-Light is worthless unless we can get the other three items to combine it with? All together it makes a single weapon that can take on the Cane."

"How do we do that?" Adven wondered.

Sa lets loose a burst of flame as the two Drifters jump back and prepare for a second round. "You earned the Ever-Light." Sa remarks with a hearty laugh as the two calm. "I'll let you go as soon as you fix my name on the wall."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Jet and Adven remarked in unison. They looked at one another and gave a shudder at how creepy it was. It was just odd for them to say the same thing at once.

"I don't care how you do it, just get it done." The being of fire told them.

Adven and Jet looked to one another clueless. Thoughts racing through their heads.

Jet shrugged. "I'm no mason."

"What makes you think I am?" Adven squeaked.

The two sat there in thought before Sa let out an annoyed sigh of exasperation. "Look…if you talk to Gnome he will probably be able to fix it for you."

"Gnome?" Jet wondered.

"Right." Sa replied with a nod of his head.

Adven snapped his fingers. "Ah! Aye got this one." He smirked as Jet turned to him. "While Salamander…I mean, Sa, is the being of fire in those legends the being of earth was Gnome. Known best for their great ability to work with natural elements. Like, stones and metals. His followers were early blacksmiths. Much like the people who work on the ARM today."

Jet looked to Sa who gave a shrug. "He sounds right enough." Sa let out.

Adven nodded. "So, we find this other being in one of the halls and you'll let us go with the Ever-Light?"

Sa nodded. "It seems fair to me. I will hold onto the Ever-Light, if you will."

Adven eyed Jet, as did Sa. Jet let out a groan and walked forward handing their prize over.

"Thanks." The fire being let out. "As soon as my name is either Sala or Salamander I will give this back. Though…it won't be an easy task."

"Why's that?" Adven questioned as Jet gave a suspicious glare.

"Well, the door to the water being will open next, and after you meet," Sa gave a shudder. "Her, you may not make it to the next hall in which Gnome is."

"Though, as I've said, I haven't seen any of my colleagues in many years. They may not even try to kill you as I have, but they may still ask for something in place of their items." Sa warned.

Jet and Adven stood in a Narutoish confused pose. With their hands on their chins and their eyes squinted as their minds were hard at work. The two gave a brief glance to one another and shuddered. Saying the same thing was one thing, but now they're even acting the same. That's scary.

Adven looked away with unease. "When I said…two heads are better as one…I didn't mean this."

Jet rolled his eyes. "So…just go find this Gnome and have him fix up your name on the wall and we're fine?"

Sa nodded. "Good luck, you'll need it."

Jet sighed. "Why is nothing easy on Filgaia?" He boomed.

"Nothing easy is worth having." Adven points out.

"Oh…like you'll ever have a chance with Sakura if you use that philosophy." Jet quipped.

Adven sunk his high spirits. "You know how to make a good bottle of milk go sour."


	10. Undine Happy New Year

"You have to admit that was pretty cool." Adven grinned.

"Cool?" Jet wondered as he continued down the hallway. Sa was at least nice enough to get them a day and a half into the journey, and not making them walk all of it. A waste of all of their times if that was the case. "You were nearly pissing your pants back there. I saw how you reacted to all of that."

Adven glared as his spirit fell. "So?"

"Maybe I should mention that to Sakura and everyone else when we get back."

"Then I will have to tell them about your own near accident regarding pants and urine."

Jet stopped. "What are you talking about? Sa had nothing on me."

"I know you were scared even though you hadn't shown it." Adven continued. "Just because you remain as still as a stone it doesn't mean you are any bit further from pissing your pants."

"Pheh." Jet started his walk again with Adven trailing behind. "A real hero is someone who is too afraid to run away, too afraid to stay, so they instead run into what they are afraid of." Jet coyly replied as he tried his best to defend his own actions.

"So…it was cool right?" Adven grinned.

"Well…his hair was made of fire, and that first wall of fire…yeah, it was." Jet admits.

"Hey, look we're home." Adven remarks as they pass through the door with the fire marking on it. Sitting on the floor quietly was a woman with a glare that had more heat to it than the Ever-Light, and that thing held the hottest flames known to the universe.

Jet and Adven stood awkwardly in silence as she watched them with crossed arms and legs. Her teeth nibbling angrily at her bottom lip. The two slowly looked to one another. Each swearing to one another because once more they did the same thing at the same moment. Both men were getting tired of that.

Jet looked to the door directly across from them and behind Mizu, who sat in the middle of the intersection. The door with the seal with a water drop on it moved aside without any noise or scrapping across tracks on the floor. It was almost as if it had just disappeared.

"Um…well," Adven rolled his eyes with a heavy breath.

"We'll be off now." Jet remarks with a salute as each of them walked as fast, and as slowly as possible across the hall. Walking around the woman as if she were not there at all. But, the beads of sweat on the men out of nervousness knew she was there.

"Wait." Her soft voice came. No emotion in it, and that was what made Jet cringe and Adven to turn to stone.

Slowly as if being turned bit by bit with a ratchet, the two men turned ninety degrees to face her. Each with their lungs waiting to see if it were safe to work or not. Even though it was only a few seconds it felt like eons. This loud silence.

"Well, let's get going, shall we?" Mizu offered as she walked past the two of them. Their eyes following her until Jet and Adven met glances. Looking to see who would be the first to follow. To see who would live and who would die.

"Are you two coming?" Mizu wondered as she entered the hall.

"Be right there." Adven replied as he watched Jet. The two of them going nowhere.

Jet took a step and followed Mizu, which made Adven then follow him. However, then Jet turned around and tried to push the brunette ahead. Adven countered and another grappling session began between them.

Finally they broke and looked to each other. "We go at the same time." Jet offered as an answer.

Adven nodded and the two walked at the same moment side-by-side of one another, and just to the back of the woman who was already ahead of them.

"What took you two so long in that hallway?" She wondered.

"Uh, well," Adven looked to Jet.

"The hall goes on for two days." Jet simply said. "Then at the end there was an ancient holy being of some sort, with fire hair."

"Oh?"

"Right." Adven nodded, even though she could not see that. "Apparently two days here, is two seconds in the real world. So…about three seconds have passed there."

She nods. "I see."

"And…at the end of each of these halls is another being, with another item that you put together with the others to make one single item that can counter the Cane of Calamity."

She turns to them, but continues walking backwards down the blue stone halls. "And…you have one of the items?"

"Well...no, because Jet had to go and damage Salamander's name, so now he will only give us his item if we can get Gnome to fix his name."

She looks to them confused. "His…name?"

"It's better not explaining it." Jet remarks. "The fact is simple, that we must meet this water being and then the Gnome. After that we should have three items, and we can get back to treasure hunting, or whatever, as soon as possible." He nods as if stamping that proposed plan.

Adven nods. "I'm with Jet for…no…not once…again. Let's get going." The two men continue along their way along the shifting blue room.

Shifting?…

It was as if light coming through water was around them and made that glow to the room. Though, there was no such water anywhere in the hall. It was simply there without an agent that placed it there.

The trio did feel a bit odd in such a place. It gave one an unsettled stomach.

"No name to mess up this time." Adven grins. Jet sighs and looks ahead along the path. A fit of dizziness taking him over for a moment. It seemed like he was moving suddenly without his legs taking a step. Like the end of the tunnel-like hall was closing in on him quickly. It was not just him though, because Adven and Mizu had felt the wooziness as well.

And then it was over. Jet blinked and he let out a breath, but seeing bubbles. Water. Jet and the others were in a pool of water suddenly. The hall was far-gone. They were merely in a pit of water that none of them could get out of. Mainly because they couldn't swim. On a planet with no water they have no time to practice at this. So there was just twirling, but then Jet came to the top and was treading water.

Somewhere deep within his mind there was a memory of how to swim. So Jet snatched up Adven's head of hair and Mizu's shirt. The bra coming undone at the same time, but there was no time to complain in all of the bubbling shouts. And it was in the name of lifesaving. Adven was with his horrible sour face though, all due to the hair-tugging.

Jet burst forth from the water pulling his two companions along with him as deep breaths were taken in. Followed by a fist to Jet's left cheek by Adven, and a slap from Mizu on his right.

"How dare you try to go to second at a time like this?" She shrieked.

A clapping filled the room in echoes. Like that of clashing waves. The three went quiet as in this stillness they scanned the room. A silhouette of a woman on a platform like that Sa had his throne on, but the throne was missing. The egotistical take on her imprisonment was not her at all, as it had been Sa's.

"What vitality!" She expressed boldly in a vibrant voice filled with energy. "The man with the gray hair is of my liking." She glimmers.

Adven stood immobile. The woman would be considered naked if she were human, but she was the water being, and like Sa with his hair, this woman had her body made of water. The water that was in a small layer along the floor. Her hair went right to the floor. Her body of a perfect ten made of water as the light shined upon it.

Mizu had fixed her bra strap by now from under her shirt. Standing as she finished. "So you would be…"

"You don't know who I am?" The water being balked.

Adven stood up fixing his hair and testing his breath quickly. "Undine." He simply said out of nervousness. Adven had always thought the first breasts he would see were real ones, but the outlines of them made of water still were the sort of thing that would cause him to stiff up in all his muscles, much to his dismay.

Jet finally planted his two feet in the shallow puddle that spread across the floor. "So what is the item that you hold?"

"Quick to the point. I love a man who knows what he wants." She giggles with a hand to her mouth. "I have never seen another being who could move like that in water." She grins with her hands at her hips. "What is the name of the man who can move like a water sprite?"

Jet blinked. Adven let out a giggle. "She…c…a…l…l…e…d…y-o-o-u-u-u…a s-sp-sprite!" The laugh burst into one that shook the very water itself. Even Mizu could barely keep her own laugh still in, but she did and held it back tight with a smile.

Suddenly the waters around them swirled and Undine's anger flared, but unlike Sa only water flew about the place. Without warning a torrent of water shot from the floor and flung the brunette into the far wall shattering the tiles upon first impact. Splinters of debris falling into the shallow water. Adven slowly falling to that shallow water not long after.

Jet glanced to the woman who had sent Adven to the wall so easily. A pleasant smile on her face. "So…as I was saying." She looks to Jet with a fond smile. "Will you honor me, by taking my hand?"

Jet stood there like a statue. "I…guess." He rose a brow. Such an odd request, but he moved through the water to the woman out of fear he may be the next one imbedded in a wall.

Gingerly he took her hand that was made of water, but it was like any other soft woman's hand to the touch. "Is that all?" He wondered.

She laughed. "Silly man." She wrapped her arms around Jet who was the shorter of the couple. The muscles tensing ever so quickly within the android's body. "What is your name?"

"Uh…it's…er…uh," Jet was beginning to feel bad about this.

"It's Jet Enduro." Mizu said simply out of outrage. She knew what was going on, and felt Jet deserved it.

Undine gave a welcoming smile. "Thanks you, woman."

"So…uh, I mean…are you happy…now that I took your hand?" Jet nearly squeaked as her breasts ran across his chest briefly as she breathed.

"Jet, when I say to take my hand, I mean for you to take it in marriage." Undine giggled.

Jet went rock-solid. "Jetty Boy?" She questioned.

Mizu shook her head briefly. Jet knew his memories were terrible to him. Look what they got him into now.


	11. Tetsuo Finally Got A Working Computer!

The water across the floor was wavy. It was cool to the touch, and that was why Adven's mind came back to his body. He had not been ready at all for the attack from the water being, Undine. As his eyes opened he looked to his frival and found him in a stone status, but yet, not made of stone. And their woman companion shaking her head.

He had just missed whatever just happened.

"Uh…your…hand…in…marriage?" Jet slowly questioned. A bead of sweat mixing with the water from the pond.

"Why, of course my dear." She gleamed. "A woman could want nothing more than to have the love of her life to join her in holy matrimony."

"B-but-" Jet could only retort.

"He doesn't want to marry a freaky maiden of water like you." Adven declared as he jumped to his feet. "So why don't you just leave him the Hell alone?"

A torrent of water went for Adven who dodged the blast and stopped. The water was violently shaking as many streams of water took to the air to get a chance at Adven. "What good is water as a weapon? It won't kill me." Adven pointed out. "Negative Hand Blast!" His attack hit the ground creating a purple shield to protect him from the water. Undine's attack spraying every way except at him.

"I only used my weaker attacks because you are human, but I suppose I underestimated you." She grins as she leaves Jet to stand idly by frozen still by her request to marry him. His mind had just shut down after that. And now he was left in the middle of what may become a battlefield. "Are you aware that the majority of the human body is made of water?"

Adven tensed up. "So…you're going to go that far?" Adven wondered.

"You should be happy that you could suffer my worst attacks." She remarks. "None of the other beings created by the Guardians can harm me. They have tried. We have all fought one another at one time, but none of them were ever able to defeat me." She comments with unending pride.

"It'll be awesome then."

"What, your death?" She mused.

"No, that I will be able to do something not even those guys could do." Adven grinned.

"Enough foolishness!" She waved her arms as the water swirled around the room. "It looks like you will not be coming to the wedding."

Adven moved as streams of water filled the room, all aiming for his body. His body and mind had no idea where they would be coming from, and so he just continued to run along the exterior to the room. Mizu meanwhile ran to Jet and pulled the dazed man toward the platform which was not part of the battle being that there was no water there.

Adven caught a chance when Undine ran out of water now that it was all about the air trying to hit him. With quick wit he kicked off the wall and charged through the air as his fist sprang forward to hit the woman at the collar bone. "Take this!" Unfortunately Undine is the being of water, and so, his fist went right through her liquid body. Leaving a shocked Adven. "D'oi."

She let out a laugh. "You were a fool not to think that one over." She chuckled. "Do you see why no one was ever able to hurt me?"

With a quick wave of her hand Adven was sent across the room as her streams of water literally rained down on him. With Adven out of the battle Undine returned to her previous train of thought. Only to find her beloved in another woman's arms.

"J-Jet?" She remarks as she watched Mizu try to snap the boy awake. The water around her bubbled as if boiling. "How dare you put your filthy hands on him?" With a dash across the water Mizu tossed Jet aside as Undine missed her attack at the other woman. "You toss him aside when you are done, wench?"

Mizu thought over Adven's mistake of using physical attacks, and found that she had no response. With Undine forming a trident of solid water ready to strike her, Mizu shut her eyes.

"Hold it!" Adven's hand covered in his purple negative energy hit Undine aside. The woman of water falling in a large splash on the floor. "How do you intend to marry Jet if you aren't even solid? That'll be one disappointing honeymoon." Adven comments with a grin.

Standing and reforming her body Undine glared at the man. "I definitely have underestimated you." She fixed the part of her body he had punched. "I don't understand how your punch hurt me."

"It was the Surging Punch. You weren't hit with my fist, you were hit by the negative energy that surrounded it." He notes as if he were the most brilliant person ever. "You…will not stop me now that I've seen the most you can do."

She gives a chuckle. "Didn't I tell you…the human body is composed of water mainly…and I control water."

"You were saying truth?" He utters. "So…maybe you still have your trump card." Adven formed a fist. "I guess I'll just have to stop you before you can use it!" With no delay Adven was in dash. The water parting behind him from the glide he was in across the floor. With his fist ahead of his body Jet sent out his attack for the woman. Usually he could never see himself hitting a woman, but he counted in the fact that she was a water being and just decided that meant she wasn't the same as a woman.

Despite Adven moving at his quickest speed ever, water moves faster. Undine sent a stream outward from her palm knocking the man back. As he stumbled to get footing on the watery floor he came to a stop. Undine let out a grin as Mizu looked over to Adven.

Adven let out a bloodcurdling scream as Mizu looked away in dread as Adven fell backwards slamming into the ground. Water being sent every-which-way when his body hit.

Despite having the majority of water from his body removed Adven picked his body upward just as far as his elbow would allow. His motor skills returning.

"The…w…a…ter…came-" Adven's eyes opened wide. He slowly came to his feet. "You didn't bother to kill me when you had me in your power, and that will be your last mistake."

Undine let out a laugh. "I spare you from death and you still want more?"

Mizu looked back to Adven who while a bit pale was looking better with each second. "Adven!" The blonde let out. "Don't be stupid!"

Adven simply grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "I may be stupid, but I was brilliantly stupid, wasn't I?" With that said Adven returned his attention to Undine. He slowly moved around her until he stood on the other side, next to the platform Mizu and the dazed Jet were. "Hey, Jet! Are you alive other there? I still hope to get some beatings in on you before either of us are ready to call it quits so get your act together!" Adven never bothered to see if Jet responded.

Adven simply let out a simple stifled laugh. "I saved us from Sa, but you needed to make a sacrifice first by charging him. It was a great idea, which I developed mainly, mind you. Two heads are better than one, but remember, we are three heads now, and we should be all the better." Adven let another foolish grin pass.

"Are you done rambling?" Undine wondered. "As soon as you and that whore are gone I will have Jet to myself and then…our life as husband and wife will begin. I can see me decorating the place…flowers and the cows seem a good décor, no?"

"Shut up, this time I will be the one standing and you will be the one on the floor." Adven bragged. "All of you beings have an item, and I've found it."

"And it won't do you any good if I kill you first."

"I disagree." Adven formed a fist and ran for Undine again.

And once more, water is faster than Adven, but it was not foreseen that he would rather jump away from the blast this time. And as the stream faded from the platform came a shout. "Positive Cannon Fire!"

As Undine looked to her beloved Jet she was met with his attack instead and thrown into the pond that the three had come from earlier. And Adven followed after. Into the depths of the water he can not swim in. It was good that he at least got that breath in first.

As Undine got a hold of herself in the water Adven did not allow her a break and sent a kick of negative energy for her, sending the water being to the bottom of the pit. Undine spread her palm open as she concentrated on Adven. Taking another shot at trying to drain the man of his liquid she was met instead by a blast of Adven's Negative Cannon sending her into the stone that covered the bottom as well as parting the waters spraying it out into the air giving Adven a chance to breath.

As Adven landed just on the outside of the pit he looked to Mizu and the slowly recovering Jet. "You could have been faster, dumbass…never send a boy to do a man's job." Jet simply said as he shook his head free.

"Oh…you were almost Mr. Undine there."

Jet cringed and went tense all over. "Please, don't remind me."

Undine came into shape on the water. "I…can't…believe I let you beat me."

Adven took out a small bottle and scooped up some water in it. "Your item was the very water that we've been standing in this whole time. It's able to cool the hottest of items, and that has a lot to do with Sa's Ever Light." Adven commented shaking the bottle. "The Water of Life also was able to rehydrate me quickly after you had drained me. That's why I was sure to force you into the pit of it when I attacked next."

"It seems I really did underestimate you…maybe it was you who I should marry."

Adven went tense. "Um…well, I'll…consider that…but…I'm…uh…gay…and so is Jet!" Adven shouted to everyone's dismay, including him. It was one way out of this. "Jet is my…girlfriend."

Jet went red. "Hold on!" He shouted. "Don't lie like that Adven." He went calm and crossed his arms. "I'm the guy, you're the girl."

"Oh?" Undine's hopes fell. "I'm sorry…to bother you two…like that then." If she could cry she would. "I shouldn't hold you up any longer, if you swim to the bottom you will find the exit again to the hall."

"Thanks." The three moved quickly to the water's edge.

"Oh, and…if that doesn't work out for you two guys…you're welcome back here any time…even if it's just a fling. Many men have died to have me in bed, but those who have had the wildest eight nights of their lives."

Jet and Adven looked to one another. "Um…"

Mizu snatched their ears and pulled them further. "Not today you two, and I mean day by Filgaia standards." Before they could moan in aggravation they fell into the water, headed for the intersection.


	12. Adven gets punished

Mizu looked at her watch. Nothing happening in that. The watch seemingly still was going by the time on the outside realm so the watch wasn't really doing much. With a heavy sigh her head slowly rolled to look at the ground near to her.

"Why did you say I was gay?" Jet continued pulling on Adven's leg while sitting on the other's back. Adven's stomach pressed to the ground. His head bobbing in pain.

"Are you two about done?" She wondered. Jet continued punishing Adven for the slander. "You do know that sitting on Adven like that makes you look gayer, so that isn't helping your rep."

Jet stood up with balled fist. "Pheh." He shook his head. "Whatever. Let's get the Hell out of here."

"Well, the path to the being of earth is in that direction." Mizu points to the hall that had previously had held a symbol of a rock that matched the slab of granite well.

Adven brushed the dirt from his clothing. Straightening out his shirt and looking sadly at the button that was now missing from his shirt. "You hurt my shirt." He moaned like a little kid.

Jet just tapped his boot at the tip rather briskly and looked to the other two in her party. "Well, do you have anything to tell me?"

"Like what?" Adven wondered. "I'm not going to say I'm sorry or anything, even though…I did just say that."

"Who was the being of earth?" Jet questioned rudely.

"Oh, right." Adven scratched his head. Fixing the band of cloth that wrapped his head by the bangs. "Well, let's think now…who was the person in that story?" He put his hand to his lip in thought. Biting the skin from the inside of his mouth. "Ah, it was Gnome. The being of earth was Gnome."

"Is that right?" Jet wonders. "Anything else to be said this time? Is he known for anything? Like is he made of rock? Does he have a thing for men with a knight complex?"

"We have knight complex?"

"Well, no, but you understand right? I mean guys who are typically brave, courageous, strong-"

"That's enough compliments about yourself, Jet." Mizu waved.

"Anyway, is there anything about this thing that is abnormal?"

Adven shakes his head. "Not to my knowledge, in fact, Gnome is the one being who was written about the least."

Mizu nods her head. "Right. I've heard of Undine, but I never came across Gnome in anything I've read." She looks to Adven. "It's hard to believe I would look to Adven for anything. I thought he was a no-trick pony."

"I think it's a one-trick." Adven corrects.

"No…that would be saying too much of how I thought of you." Mizu replies to his dismay as he hung his head a bit. "Does my name look like Zelos?"

The other two sat there silently. "Zelos? Who the Hell is that?" Jet questions.

"What now?" Adven wondered back. There was an awkward silence and then the three shook it off. "Back to Gnome, I suppose. What I think we can expect of him is of course, the power to control anything with earth aspects. Which would mean any weapon we have would be no good since he can probably break it down to it's basic minerals." Adven hypothesized. "And…I hope nobody ate much iron or anything because I would think he could control that too…and I saw what Magnus did to Logan in that comic when they were in outer space and took the metal off of his bones and straight through his pores."

Jet and the woman who was named after water looked at the man with auburn hair strangely. "Who is Magnus and Logan?"

"Who is what now?" Adven looked at them strangely.

"Does Adven have any history of mental blackouts?" Mizu questioned.

"I DO NOT!" Adven defended roughly.

"Look, this is boring me. Let's just get going." Jet concludes as he makes for the hall. "My best plans come up when I least suspect them."

"Hey, haven't I been the one making the plans?" Adven argues.

"Let's just get whatever item Gnome has, and then have the guy fix up Sa's name so then we all can go on happily and put an end to those evil bastards who kicked our butts when we got to the ruins earlier."

"Is that really the happy ending?" Mizu wondered.

"Hey, I haven't seen you do much so far, so don't talk." Jet remarks.

"I saved you back there when you were all 'stoic retard'. So don't say I haven't done anything yet. You just haven't seen me in action because Adven was the first to attack Undine." Mizu argues.

"Pheh. Whatever." Jet continued down the hall leaving Adven and her to catch up.

"I think that's his way of saying thanks, but what do I know?" Adven remarks. He shrugs and follows after with Mizu following just behind him.


	13. It's been like five months has it not?

The trio cautiously entered into the vacant room that was fashioned similar to a cave. While other rooms they had seen had pillars possibly and the elevated platform for the throne were done away with. Rather there were scattered at the random across the floor and ceiling stalagmites and stalactites of immense proportions that are rarely seen anywhere. The thickness and all were uncommon. The length not seen often. Instead of a throne platform there was rather a hole with coals and fire. A clay pot of water near to it. A large hammer resting on what in the dark can not be made out.

A workplace for a blacksmith it would seem. But there was no such person here as of now. That was what Jet was first to look into. The whereabouts of such a man.

Adven meanwhile was happy that no one was here and started to snoop around. Touching the hammer and playing with instruments. "I bet making a weapon would be easy. I could make a strong weapon if I tried."

"You think you can handle that hammer?" A short man in the dark laughed cheerfully. "Go ahead and take it up and do as you may."

Adven's hand lingered over the hammer. He was not sure what quite to do. The three of them were found out and yet they were not scolded at. Adven went for the hammer just to show he was not weak, but the hammer did not rise. "Uh…I didn't quite get a good grip on it just yet." He went about it with two hands. Pulls and tugs did not matter and in the end he only gained sweat on his brow. "What the Hell is this made of?"

"It is obviously made of sterner stuff than you are made of." The short man comments as he comes from the shadows to stand in front of them. A short being of only three feet with a head of short black hair that seemed to stick outward at the bangs. His gi of green and gray slacks. "Who are you to call my job an easy task?"

"Heh, I'm Adven Bok, of course. That is who I be. And I will not bear the fracture to my pride." He defiantly declared.

Jet shook his head and Mizu looked to Jet. "Since when does he have any pride…and why does he sound like a knight?" She coolly remarked.

"Adven Bok, so I see. Never have I heard of you. Must not be very important." The small man replied.

"Of course you haven't heard of me! You are so distant from the civil world that you know not of anything aside from making swords and other weapons."

"How dare you insult my craft? I do more than simple weapons. What I craft is that which Gaea inspires me to. I do not make objects often just for the wants of myself or another. I craft a piece and hope to have one that is even greater the next time." The vertically-challenged being remarks.

"Break it up you two verbally challenged idiots." Mizu interrupted. "Seriously…why do you speak like you like in the 'Olde' times of darkness and beauty." She gives an abrupt laugh.

Jet zeroes in on the short man. "Are you Gnome? We have something ask of you to do for us."

"I am Gnome. Tell me what you want and I shall see if I can give it." The short being replied with a nod. "If you desire the legendary item that I hold I will be more than happy to hand it over as long as you give me the other three. I have spent centuries here with the only desire to fuse the four items together again."

"Fuse them? So…it is a weapon?" Adven wondered. "The fire we will get from Sa will heat the fire…so then what is the material that can only be heated with the Ever-Light?"

"This." Gnome presented two large balls of metal the size of cannonballs. "This is a rare metal I created named Neo-Titanium. It is the strongest metal around, but it can only be heated by the Ever-Light and cooled by the Water of Life." He explained. "But there is one more item, you are aware?" They nod. "So give here the first two items and I will start the process while you get the last one." Gnome placed out his hands.

Jet nervously rubbed his neck. "That's the thing…we don't have the Ever-Light yet. We need you to go to Sa's hall and fix his name that is printed on the wall."

Gnome blinked and left the three to begin on a sword. "So…are you going to help us?" Mizu wondered.

"Of course not. It would be wise of you to leave this place then."

Jet moved forward. "You won't do it?"

"No."

Mizu kept Jet back to wait for an explanation. "Why won't you do this for us?"

"Because Salamander is a jerk and I never liked him. He always was beating me up and melting my creations…and then there was his temper. Plus, he tended to pick up the majority of the mortal women leaving me with the ugly ones." Gnome announced as he kept himself busily working away.

Adven waved his hand. "That's rather unfair. And you're very rude, you dumb troll."

Gnome's brow creased as he stopped working. Jet shifted himself away from Adven as Mizu looked to Adven. "I think you offended him."

Adven let a scoff leave his lips. "Like I'm afraid of the munchkin here." He even moves his forearm pointing out the still Gnome with his hooked thumb. "He's probably just a big pussy, and that's why he won't help us. I bet Sa was the big bully and Gnome was the stupid nerd who got shoved around a lot."

"Are you aware of the term, divine judgement. A divine action." Gnome mutters. Adven stops a second thinking it over.

"I have never heard such a phrase before." Adven remarks as he ponders over it.

"That's because you'll be the first to feel it!" Gnome suddenly held a large hammer whose handle went on longer than Adven's entire body. As Jet grabbed Mizu and pulled her aside they let the phased Adven stand still as he watched in amazement the hammer owned by Gnome.

Adven did notice however that the mallet seemed to be getting larger, but then he noticed that it was not getting larger, but rather closer. But by the time he realized this he could only move his face out of the way and have his thick skull hit instead.

Stumbling like a drunkard, Adven made his way backwards. His head nowhere close to recovery. As his green headband soaked up some blood and became a bit red and darker in color the man stood strong following his stagger.

There was a grin passing on Adven's lips as he regained his footing. "Oh," Gnome said in amusement. "It seems that your skull is tougher than some of the strongest metals. But…these things have to be worked at, don't they, before they become malleable."

"Pheh." Adven blinked, bringing Gnome back to one small being of earth rather than the three he had been looking at. "I bet if you weren't so vertically challenged you could have actually broken something. But my brain can't be damaged. It's just cushioning to begin with."

Mizu nodded with Jet. "I had my suspicions."

"Vertically challenged?" Gnome questioned. "You make it sound like I can't jump."

"Well, can you?" Adven laughed. "Listen, let's make a deal. If I can survive one more strike from you, and if I can forge a better weapon than you in five minutes, you must help me and my friends get all four of the items and then forge the inevitable weapon we will use against the Cane of Calamity."

"What happens if I win though?" Gnome wondered.

"That'll be up to you. But, I know it'll be impossible." Adven said with confidence.

Gnome nodded. "Right, then if I win I will take your girl there and the vial of water that you got from Undine's room."

"Agreed."

"Hold on!" Mizu was quieted quickly by Jet's hand over her mouth. She broke free and looked at Jet as if he weren't serious. "Why'd you do that?"

"I don't know what Adven's up to, but he obviously has some plan. If we do something it could kill us all…besides, wouldn't you like a blacksmith as a boyfriend?"

"You can't be serious?" She sighs. "I won't do it." She squirmed with images of kissing Gnome floating through her head. It made it even worse that he winked at her at the same moment. "I won't! I won't! I won't! I won't! I won't!"

"So…let's get started." Adven lamented as attention went back to the two. "I've got better things to do today."

"Right, so, you say you can survive another swing of my hammer onto your head?" Gnome chuckles.

"Of course. That way I'll prove to you that I'm stronger than you really think me to be."

Gnome shook his head with his hand to his face. "I never said you were weak, but you are stupid. Terribly stupid."

"I wouldn't get too cocky." Adven grinned.

It was with that Gnome sent his hammer for Adven once more, and Adven never bothered to move one inch. Instead, he took the blow to his head. Like a nail his body was pounded into the rocky ground. As Gnome lifted his hammer away he looked to Adven to see if he were dead, or now permanently handicapped.

To his amaze Adven simply dug himself out of the hole and brushed his clothing off. "Was that it? The first one hurt so much more."

Gnome wasn't sure what to do, so he sent four multiple strike of his hammer forward and kept pounding on the idiot's head. But when it was all done and Gnome was gasping for air Adven still remained tall. "That was cheating. I said only one hit." Adven remarked.

Mizu just stood in awe. "How…how the Hell did he not get hurt a bit?" She roared. Though, she was happy he kept up the first half of his bet. Otherwise…she could be…shudder…Mrs. Gnome.

Jet simply remained with unchanged features as usual. His neutral look. Though, he should be grinning being that he was the only one who knew what happened. Adven may have let the being hit his head, but he always covered his face over, and it was then that he would deter the hammer. Hidden amongst his sleeves was two wooden sticks that Jet had noticed him steal from Gnome's workshop here. Every time Gnome struck Adven blocked it with the three-inch thick wooden pieces, thus softening the powerful blows from doing any long-term damage like the first hit to his head had produced.

"Are you ready to put your skills to the test, blacksmith?" Adven questioned the awe-struck Gnome. "Let's see if I can make a better weapon than you."

Gnome came back to reality and let out a nervous laugh. "You intend to beat me at what I do best? Go ahead. Let's see you be foolish and then I can win."

"Right, then let's get started." Adven stepped near to the coals and waited for Gnome to start. With a smug face he let out a yawn as Gnome began forming a blade in the fire. Adven didn't act at all.

"You think you can start late and make up the lost time? No one's skill is that great." Gnome scoffed while pounding away on his project.

"No, but I'll win anyway."

Jet began to become agitated. He had to question what the Hell Adven was up to. He kept bragging that he would win, but was still far from proving anything.

Mizu let out a sigh when he finally started working. She did NOT want Gnome to win. Her chastity was not going to belong to…that…thing.

Adven's sword was coming along crappy while Gnome was showing his best work. They were at work so long that Jet sat in a corner and went to take a nap while Mizu started playing a game of Solitaire. Suddenly though, the short man stopped. "Hey! You're cheating!" He declared.

Adven scoffed, never stopping his work. Meanwhile, Mizu looked over to them while Jet just rolled over and continued his nap. "How dare you say that I'm cheating?" Adven wondered in response to the absurd accusation. "If I'm cheating how am I?"

"I don't know, but you are. Somehow I'm not getting enough heat." Gnome explained. "It seems like someone's cooling off my sword."

"Ha! You're just being a sore loser!" Adven argued. "I don't have any ability to cool anything like that."

Gnome simply sneered and continued working as Adven did as well. Gnome knew Adven was cheating, but he could not prove it, and thus, as it was, Adven was not cheating. Even though he was. It seemed that Adven was beginning to get a hang of the attributes of his Negative Cannon attack. It was all about controlling negative energy, and as it is, negative energy is cool. If Adven paid less attention to his sword-making, which he was sure he can do right, and paid more attention to controlling negative energy around him, he could cool Gnome's sword so it couldn't get hard, and thus the metal would begin to crack when Gnome would touch it with his hammer.

In the end, Adven was done and so was Gnome, and even if they weren't, the five minutes was over. "Time to test them." Adven commented. "We should have Jet swing them into something and whichever holds together and cuts the smoothest should be the winner."

"Pheh. Fine." Gnome replied. Not trusting a bias arm, but Jet looked like he didn't care so Gnome thought he was the closest to unbias that he was going to get.

Jet sighed and walked over to them. "You know…I _was_ having a good nap." Jet relented and took Adven's sword. "What should I hit? Adven's head looks like a suitable object."

"Yes, aim at that." Gnome interjected, to which Mizu nodded.

Adven let a sweat out. "Uh…we're in this all together, remember?" He hoped.

"Pheh." Jet waved it off. "How about we slice through a stalagmite?" They all nodded in agreement. Jet let Adven's sword loose on the rock and cut it in two. It wasn't the cleanest of cuts, but it was rock, which really shouldn't be able to be cut by a human with one simple swing…but…Jet is not human technically, so…yeah. "This one passes. Can't believe that it does."

"What's that meant to mean?" Adven huffed.

"Let's just finish this off." Jet groaned and tossed Adven's sword aside. He was handed Gnome's blade and swung it at the next nearest stalagmite of closest similarity. This time however, the process was opposite, in that the stalagmite was the one that did all of the cutting. "O-kay. That's a pretty pathetic sword." Jet commented.

"I told you he cheated!" Gnome fumed.

"I'm sure Adven would…never cheat." Mizu chastised.

"Right, he's too much of a loser." Jet agreed. "Besides, we never saw him cheat. I never heard him cheat. So…if there is no proof, we can't accuse him of it."

Gnome let out some mumbles and fumed. "Fine. You win. I'll fix the name along the halls of Salamander's area."

"Ah, you gotta make the weapon as well and help us get the last item." Mizu reminded him.

He moaned. "Fine!" He picked up his hammer. "I'm going to go fix up the name on the wall. The last being you have to meet with is the wind being, Sylph. You shouldn't worry about him so much as the item you'll be after. That's the thing you need to worry about."

"Why is that?" Adven questioned. Gnome ignored him. "Oh, I suppose you are just going to ignore me from now on?" No reply.

"Why shouldn't we worry about Sylph?" Mizu interjected.

"Oh, well, I should really let Sylph explain it, he does it the best. I've basically done all I can for you." Gnome answered.

The trio stood silently as Gnome disappeared. Each of them eyeing one another as the questionable cloud of mystery hung over them.


	14. Tetsuo finds it hard to get back into th...

"What do you think Gnome meant when he spoke of Sylph?" Mizu wondered as she followed right behind the two young men. They were on their way down the hall with the symbol of the wind on its door. Apparently the symbol of the wind is a leaf.

"What do you mean?" Adven wondered. "I think it was pretty straight-forward."

"He said that getting his item won't be as hard as meeting him. Wouldn't that mean that we don't have to fight Sylph to get the item?" Mizu wondered.

"It could mean a million and one things." Adven commented. The trio continued on longer. "Y'know, Jet hasn't said anything in a while."

Jet groaned. "Why should I talk to a cheater like you?"

"Wait, Adven did cheat?" Mizu wondered.

"Pheh. Not only did he cheat, he cheated twice." Jet noted. "He blocked the hammer with pieces of wood in his sleeves, and then he cooled the sword with negative energy." Jet explained. "He cheated."

"Suddenly you have a problem with cheating?" Adven hummed. "I could have sworn you've cheated before. Besides, it won us a lot. It was like we won a five for one sale. All we have to do is get the last item and it's over."

"Is it over?" Jet interjected. "Do you think saving Filgaia is that simple?"

"Saving the planet? Is that what we've been doing?" Adven questioned in deep thought. "I sort of forget why we started this all."

"Still, it seems more and more evident that we're trying to save people by making this weapon and stopping the Cane of Calamity." Jet noted with his hand to his chin in thought. "I hate saving the world…it's too much work. You can't just say you'll do it, or fight just one battle, you have to do things and fight many pointless battles. And…you tend to have to work with others, and I hate doing that." Jet continued to babble. "But at this point of my life…I can't see me stopping. I mean, I can't settle down at all. So…I some reason feel real excited about this…but I don't want to."

Mizu and Adven eyed one another. Jet was talking strange to them. It was not normal for Jet to rip out his heart and wear it on his arm. "What are you saying, Jet?"

"I have to continue fighting…because I only exist by doing this." Jet said right out. He shook his head. "Adven, the weapon is going to be worth a lot. I'm taking it. I might as well get the treasure I so rightfully deserve."

"What?" Adven sputtered. "No way! I've been beaten up again and again. I was hit in the head with a heavy hammer. I'm taking whatever treasure we wind up with."

A glare of immense fire passed between the two. Mizu broke them up. "This isn't about treasure! This is about doing the right thing!" She protested. The two stared at her as if she were an alien. "Okay…um…this is about gaining bragging rights to being the strongest two people in all of Filgaia."

Jet and Adven both thought about that notion. "Ha-ha!" Adven pointed at Jet. "This will, once and for all, prove which of us two is the strongest! So far it's me in the lead, being that I'm the one who has helped us out of each of these situations."

Jet shook a finger. "Maybe so, but Sa was a group effort. Undine and Gnome were all you, but that was just because I was incapable of fighting Undine and you were just stupid enough to take on Gnome. I bet I could have gotten us through the whole Gnome thing without anyone having a hammer swung at them."

Mizu felt like she was recklessly throwing wood on the fire behind each of the two men. "Uh…So, Adven, what's Sylph meant to be like?"

Adven let the question come, thus changing the subject, which was Mizu's plan. She would let them bicker later. "Hmm…it's said that Sylph is a sprite like person who is full of pep. In other words, the exact opposite of Jet. Sylph is said to be cheery, and helpful, and other positive qualities…unlike those qualities of Jet."

"That's it!" Jet was seconds from whacking the mind from Adven's head through the ear, but he was caught. Mizu glared at him. "Pheh." He relented and walked away down the hall. It seemed like too much time together was becoming a bad thing for all of them. It even seems to have made Jet soft.

OKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOK

AN: It seems like this story has been an Adven heavy story. It has been Adven who has been winning the most it seems. It was Adven's plan that beat Sa, Adven who fought Undine while Jet was in mental shutdown, and Adven who was stupid enough to face Gnome. Well, for the battle with Gnome it's evidence that Jet wouldn't have been able to been in the same position, so it was the best choice.

But this story isn't even halfway over, and there are still plenty of fights to take place, and I already know what happens in most of them. Expect more of the tricks, cheats, punches, and maybe some new techniques as well as new baddies. I have been trying to save Jet from using the Raven's Wing in this story, as well as Lion's Rage Punch, but I have used the Positive and Negative Cannons, so I guess I may still use the other moves and the new alterations to them.


	15. Holy Bird Crap Batman!

The trio from Filgaia entered a green room with rock formations growing from the deep brown dirt. In areas there was also green sprouting in bush and fern shapes. In awe of such vegetation that none of them have seen—at least can remember seeing—Mizu was quick to touch the nearest plant. Meanwhile, Adven was just in awe. Jet, however, didn't seem startled at all. The memories of the old Filgaia had prepared him enough for an alien sight.

"Jeez, do you always have that stale look on your face?" Adven remarked. "You don't seem interested at all."

"In some lousy plants?" Jet scoffed. "I've seen the Secret Garden, and I…"

Adven and Mizu waited for him to finish. "What? Finish talking."

"Nothing. Forget it." Jet shook the idea aside. "Let's just finish our job and get out of this book. I hate being a font and not a person."

And no one got his joke. Jet was never one for those anyway. "Still, I'd love to bring one of these back." Mizu said, with her mind in the clouds. She was close to hugging the bush she was so mesmerized by it. Adven let out a cough to get her attention. "Oh…right." She let go of the leaf to let it hang. "So where is Sylph in all of this?"

A cheerful laugh rang out with youth to it. The three scanned the room for it's source, but they were only left in confusion. Jet took a step back just as the wind being stopped where he had been taking space. While Jet stood unimpressed the other two members of his party were wondering where the being came from. It was only then that they took in the image of Sylph. A young boy…possibly a girl who was only two and a half feet tall with wings fluttering on his back. The blonde medium length hair.

"Wow…you moved." The wind being muttered in awe towards Jet. "I really didn't expect you to know I was gonna stop there. You must be amazing!"

"Uh…not really. You were just flying too fast so I felt the change in wind when you were slowing down to stop." Jet explained awkwardly. If there was ever a time a sweat drop could appear this was it.

"That's why you're so cool!" The being announced.

"Yeah…uh…that's nice and all, but can we-"

"Hold on!" Adven interjected before Jet could finish. "There is no way that Jet is cooler than me. I am the most tubular here."

"Did you just use the word 'tubular'?" Jet seriously asked.

"Hell ya' I did!" Adven proudly replied thus making his cool level go down two notches. "Now I'm about to get totally cowabunga on Jet's ass."

"Wait, what does that even mean?" Jet wondered. "Never mind." He dismissed with a wave once he realized he really did not want to know.

"Um…Adven," Mizu interjected. "Part of being cool is not wanting to be cool and just acting naturally." She explained.

Adven ignored it. "Look, I'll prove that I'm the coolest here." He looks to Sylph who has been floating idly with a puzzled look on his face. "I bet I can catch you. You seemed pretty fast, but not fast enough for Adven Bok."

"What is he doing?" Mizu wondered as she whispered to Jet.

He shook his head. "I think our rivalry has gone to his head."

"You mean…you wanna play tag with me?" Sylph questioned.

"Of course." Adven nodded.

"Okay! This will be great!" Sylph declared. "It has been a long, long time since anyone has played with me."

"Good. Ready?"

"I'm gone!" With that Sylph was gone in the wind. No sign of him anywhere, but Adven was still able to find him out. Adven jumped and lunged, but was always a step behind. This situation went on for ten minutes as Jet and Mizu grew bored. Jet simply walked forward, stretched out his hand, and caught Sylph's leg in his right hand. The room paused. "Wow…you really are awesome Mr. Jet."

Adven was beginning to smoke from his ears. "How did you do that so easily?"

"Simple. You were always jumping at Sylph to catch him. I simply just waited for him instead to come to me." Jet explained as he let go of Sylph's leg. "Anyway, let's finish up here. I don't have time for Kiddie Fun Hour."

Mizu nodded. "Jet's right." She went to Sylph. "Listen, we need your item so we can finish the weapon that will counter the Cane of Calamity."

"Oh, that?" Sylph wondered. "You can have that. I don't need it."

"Really? Where is it?" Mizu wondered.

"In the other room. You'll have to get it from it's true owner." Sylph noted.

"Real…owner?" They questioned.

"I thought you owned the item?"

"Me? No, why would Sylph need that thing." The wind being said. "Anyway, it's just in the next room."

The trio noticed a nearby door and went to it. As it opened they were hit with a hot burst of air and then a white paste sort of glob fell on Adven as he stepped in. "Ugh…what is this?"

"Is that…"

Sylph came forward to see what was going on. "It looks like Torikami went doo-doo on your friend."

"Tori…kami…" Jet wondered as Adven realized what was on him.

"You mean this is three gallons worth of bird poo?" He roared only to be nodded at. "I want to throw up."

"Um…wait…are you saying the god of birds is in here?" Jet wondered as he thought about what the name meant based on Dowaito's key.

"No, he's just so large that he may as well be called the god of birds and other fowl." Sylph mentioned. "And he is my best friend."

"Uh, so what does a huge bird have to do with a weapon?" Mizu finally questioned.

"Hey Jet, do you have a water gem to wash this crap off?" Adven interjected, but was ignored.

"The item is a feather from Torikami, but that's no easy feat. He doesn't like people doing that to him." Sylph explained.

"Well, no, I wouldn't like it either." Mizu agreed. "Still, how could his feather help in making a weapon?"

"His feather is the basis for the weapon in general. The Neo-Titanium Gnome has covers the feather, and the Ever-Light and Vial of Life heat and cool the blade." Sylph simply said, being serious in nature rather than a sprite like normal.

"Let's just get this feather." Jet grumbled. "It shouldn't be a…problem…uh," Jet just happened to notice the shadow falling over them. "Uh, this is Torikami, then?"

The group of Filgaians looked up to see this thirty-foot tall bird with green feathers and a yellowish-orange beak. His feathers seemed draped over him like a cloak. His legs were like those of Earth's Ostriches…or rather a much bigger and greener version of Big Bird. The wings of the bird were too small and too weak to lift it though, and so, it could not fly.

"Well, I'll be leaving you three to what you want." Sylph darted out of the room knowing full well how cranky Torikami can be if it knew the people were after it's feathers, which it did know.

"So…what do we do?" Mizu asked, nervously. "I…I, um…you two can handle this." She left the room as well in a hurry.

Adven slipped in the white bird waste. "I guess you were going to leave me to die too?" Jet asked.

"No way!" Adven lied. He let go and let the truth come, showing it on his face. "Yeah, but that was only my first reaction. I…I'm…I'm sort of paranoid of bird creatures."

"You're afraid of them?" Jet scoffed.

"No!" Adven protested. "I'm just paranoid of them. They always seem like they're up to something." He explained.

"Listen, you distract him, and I'll take the feather. It should be easy, I would think." Jet ordered as he darted under the bird and waited for Adven to act.

Adven took a deep swallow of nothing and looked up the thirty feet to see the beast's eyes. "I so hate you Jet." Adven let out a sigh and jumped to the air. He was able to make it the fifteen upward and threw a Surging Punch for the beast. In reaction the bird flung it's wing into Adven sending the brunette—with the white in his hair now—into the wall nearby, tossing shards of wall to the air.

Jet meanwhile, was jumping the same height and inches from grabbing the nearest feather to hang on and pull out. However, Torikami was quick to move and Jet fell flat on his face making his cool level go down a notch.

Adven in the mean time was back on his feet and confronting his fear. "Take this! Negative Missile Barrage!" Adven let loose multiple baseball shaped balls of negative energy on the beast. The attack made no real effect on the bird though due to its feathers.

Jet took the moment and lunged for the longest feather that stood out and hung by it. He swung on it back and forth until he yanked it out. While letting out the feather he also made the bird beast let out a terrible sound, nearly deafening. Adven and Jet ran out of the room quickly trying to close the door behind them. It was too slow though and just as they were sliding the stone door in place the bird tried to poke it's large head through. The bird was too big to get through, but his head was trying to peck at Mizu who was nearest. She was quick to run away. The beast let out more cries though which cause the humanoid beings to cover their ears. In this moment the bird flung the door open sending Jet flying across the room and for Adven to be squashed between the door and the wall.

Ever so slowly the bird made it's way into the crowded space of Sylph's room. There the ceiling was only twenty feet tall, so it was hard to keep a thirty foot bird in there. "Good job at pissing it off!" Mizu shouted.

"Us?" Jet barked. "I was quick to notice that you were out of that room before I could even make a plan!"

"Where's Adven anyway?" Mizu wondered loudly.

"He's a pizza." Jet simply said. "A pancake. Either way, he's flat and we have no time to worry about him because we're gonna get eaten and chewed up!"

"Hold on!" Sylph interjected. "Torikami can't chew. He has no teeth." They all stared at him as Torikami let out a low growl. "Okay, you guys can continue now."

They blinked, but Jet was quickly back in the game as Torikami lunged it's head for him. With a quick dodge he drew his ARM and fired off a melee of rounds at the bird, but the feathers blocked the attack easily. The beast went to peck at Jet again, but he dropped to the ground and rolled away before it hit him. Unfortunately the ground went flying in pieces around the room.

"No more playing around!" Jet declared. "Lion's Blitz!" Using his right arm Jet used the first half of the Lion's Rage Punch and instead of his fist used his right elbow to create a burst of astral blue. The beast was hit right in its lowered head and was sent backwards in a screech. After a moment it ran into its room and Adven closed the door as he peeled from the wall.

"What…just happened?" Adven questioned as he shook the dirt off himself.

"Uh, it was nice meeting you Sylph, but we should get going now." Mizu simply said as she grabbed the two men and dashed out of the room.


	16. Some Fun with Jet Mizu and Gnome

"Ha-ha! Gnome gets his revenge!" The short earth being declared.

Mizu stared at him. "But…you didn't do anything to Adven. Torikami did."

Gnome just glanced at her and then went back to pointing and laughing at Adven who wore a sour face. "Who cares? In the end everything is right with the world."

Adven just shook his head with anger. "I-I hate you!" He rushed off in rage to find the nearest place he could wash off. He had considered going back to the room of the water being, but then he would be in trouble all over again. His only choice was to use the water available in Gnome's room. Thus is why Gnome was filled in on all of the details by a rarely seen enthusiastic Jet. It was just Jet's way of pointing fingers and laughing after all. "Pheh. I bet the bird would've eaten a small-fry like you anyway."

"What was that?" Gnome barked. "Did you just call me a speck of dirt that you can't even see?"

Adven blinked. "No…I called you a small-fry." Adven rotated his index finger in a circle just near his head. A gesture given to an unseen Jet who was off to the side and out of the big picture of what was going on. It didn't matter because Adven did not want Jet to see his actions, he wanted Gnome to see it. It seemed like the old rivalry between Adven and Jet was dying down as Adven set his sights on a new rival who was actually a rival and not a frival and was also enthusiastically against him. Vehemently against him as well. Adven was missing the old banter with Jet. Plus, a few days ago (or merely a good number of hours on Filgaia) the two of them were battling their way out of Dowaito's house in a scramble, and now that seemed like a distant memory. Just a short time ago they were a team, and now they each acted on their own again. Even if Jet had told Adven to be a distraction to Torikami, he was giving orders and he was going about things his own way. While no one has noticed the changes going on; they were still there.

"At least I'm not the one covered in bird shit." Gnome said waving a hand and giving a grin.

Adven glared and was immediately a Gnome. "I call these exterior battle scars that can be washed off."

"Call it what you will, but it's still crap."

"Why you-"

Mizu snatched the back to Gnome's clothing and pulled him away with ease before Adven could do anything. "Will you two knock it off?" she huffed. "Seriously, you act like children." There was a pause. "No offense to you, Gnome."

"None taken m'lady." He winked. She groaned in response to his creepiness and let him go.

"Now, did you finish working on the name in the halls of Salamander?" She wondered.

"Pheh. A simple task for someone as great as myself." The earth being boasted. "And I did it all without ever having to see that loser."

"Salamander was a lot cooler than you." Adven mumbled.

"What was that?" His brow twitched.

Adven looked on as if he were a teenager with his red hands found. "What? I didn't say anything. You're tiny ear drums must be playing tricks on you." He let loose a powerful grin.

"That's it!" Gnome jumped at Adven attempting a strangle. Due to the force of such a jump Adven was knocked onto the ground of Gnome's workshop. "How do you like it now tough guy?"

Adven let out a mad laugh. "You…just…got…bird…poo…on…yourself."

Gnome jumped off Adven realizing the bird boo remains on Adven's clothes were now on his. "You bastard!"

"Ha-ha! I was waiting for you to do that." Adven admitted.

"You were pressuring him to choke you?" Mizu quizzically asked. Adven simply nodded. "Idiot." She shook her head like he were insane. She tossed him a towel that covered his head. "Just wash up you ass."

"Yeah, yeah. So where's Jet anyway?"

"He went back to see Salamander to get the Ever-Light, remember?" Mizu immediately replied.

Adven removed the towel from his head. "Oh…right. I'd hate to go back to see that jerk."

Gnome nodded his head. "We can finally agree on something."

"Say, Gnome, have you ever made this weapon that will counter the Cane of Calamity before?" Mizu wondered.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I have. I just can't remember now. Sometimes my memory goes in and out. It's hard to remember events from so, so, so, so, so long ago." Gnome scratched his head in an attempt to remember. "Hmm, it's a sword I'm making right?"

Mizu and Adven looked on at him with a worried feeling in their stomach. This was the guy who was going to make the weapon they needed? "Uh, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Mizu questioned.

"Yeah, vaguely, but I'm sure there was plan for the sword in a book I wrote. Even the name of the sword is in there. Still…this isn't the same sword, so I suggest we come up with a new name." Gnome replied rubbing his chin. "I say we dub it Gnome the Mighty!"

Adven punched him in the head. "Of all the names for it, that will not be one." Mizu nodded.

Mizu turned away and sighed. "We should wait for Jet to name the blade. Wonder what's taking him so long anyway.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

AN: I'm splitting up this chapter to make it three. You've read one. It's a small chapter, but it should put an end to the first half of the story—finally! I can't believe the first half isn't even over yet. We're at chapter 15, but it's still only halfway there, or possibly a third way there. There are pretty much three acts to this story, and the first one was all about the beings we have met, getting the items, and making the sword. The second act is…well, I will keep you guessing on that. The third act will obviously be straightforward and you probably can guess it now based on how all my other stories end. Still, you have still yet to see the end of NDS and Malebolge, but I'm working on that. It's summer now and my Spring Semester is over. I should be back in the game, as you can see by the continuation of _Adven and Jet Iu Kiku_. I just figured I'd start over slowly with my last story I was writing.

And everyone thank my friend jigendaisukeshat for hosting my story. We're all waiting for your story jigen, so hurry it up!


End file.
